Double trouble: NFL’s best all time two-sport stars

Some NFL players didn't stop at one sport

The NFL is full of tremendous athletes. Many played two sports before settling on the gridiron. Let’s look back at some of the best of all time. -- James Parziale

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Sammy Baugh, QB

He was a star at TCU, playing baseball and football. He was drafted by the baseball Cardinals and played in the minors, but was taken by the Redskins in the first round of the 1937 NFL Draft. He played quarterback, defensive back and punter as a rookie and was credited with popularizing the forward pass.

NFLNate Fine

John Elway, QB

The legendary Broncos quarterback went to five Super Bowls, winning his last two. Before that he had to pick between the Broncos and the Yankees, who took him in second round of the 1981 Draft, six spots ahead of Tony Gwynn. Considering he was elected to the Pro Football of Hame, it appears he made the right choice.

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Drew Henson, QB

A star at Michigan at quarterback, Henson seemingly made the wrong choice, going for the money and signing a six-year, $17 million deal with the Yankees, who drafted him in 1988. He never turned into a star and had just nine major league at-bats. He tried to revive his football career in 2004, and even started a Thanksgiving Day game for the Dallas Cowboys. That didn’t work, either.

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Donovan McNabb, QB

McNabb played in the Super Bowl and in the Final Four. He was a walk-on with the Syracuse basketball team and was on the bench in 1996 when the Orange lost to Kentucky in the national title game.

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Colin Kaepernick, QB

Kaepernick is a fantastic athlete. He’s one of the most mobile and athletic quarterbacks of all time (just ask the Packers). He was a fantastic high school pitcher and was drafted in the 43rd round of 2009 MLB Draft by the Cubs, but did not sign. In June 2013, Kaepernick threw out the first pitch at a Giants game -- and hit 87 mph on the gun.

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Chris Weinke, QB

What an odd career arc. He spent six years in the Blue Jays’ minor-league system before heading to Florida State to play quarterback. In 1999 he won the national championship. In 2000, he became the oldest player to win the Heisman Trophy. He was drafted by the Panthers in 2001 and played several seasons, but had just two NFL wins as a starter. He’s now the QB coach with the Rams.

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Russell Wilson, QB

Much like the other QBs, Wilson was a baseball prospect … for several teams. He was taken with the fifth pick in the 2007 draft by the Orioles. He went to college instead and played two seasons for the NC State baseball team before he was drafted by the Rockies in 2010 in the fourth round. In 2013, Rangers acquired him from the Rockies in the Rule 5 draft. Of course, Wilson has played in the last two Super Bowls with the Seahawks, winning one.

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Jameis Winston, QB

He has a BCS national championship, a Heisman Trophy and a 90-plus-mph fastball under his belt. The former Florida State dual threat has a lot riding on that right arm, as the Buccaneers made him the top pick in May’s NFL Draft.

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Jim Brown, RB

Did you know that Brown is in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame? He played at Manhasset High School (N.Y.) and then played football and lacrosse at Syracuse. He was second in the nation in scoring as lacrosse a player in 1957.

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Bo Jackson, RB

The 1985 Heisman Trophy winner was a Pro Bowl running back for the L.A. Raiders and an All-Star outfielder for the Kansas City Royals, but a hip injury stunted his careers in both sports.

Getty ImagesMike Powell

Herschel Walker, RB

So, Walker was a fantastic running back in the NFL and famous for being at the center of a trade between the Cowboys and Vikings that berthed a dynasty for Dallas. What you may not know is that he participated in the two-man bobsled competition at the 1992 Winter Olympics, finishing seventh. He also dabbled with an MMA career when he was 48.

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Jonathan Ogden, OT

One of the best left tackles in NFL history, this 6-foot-9, 345-pound Ogden was the 1996 NCAA Men’s indoor shot put champion at UCLA.

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Bob Hayes, WR

Nicknamed 'Bullet Bob,' he was known as the fastest man in the world, emerging with two gold medals in the 100 meters and 4x100 meters at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Then all Hayes did was join the Dallas Cowboys, win Super Bowl VI and get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Antwaan Randle-El, WR

He played for Bobby Knight at Indiana for a year before deciding to play football full time. He was quite the dual-threat quarterback there, but switched to wide receiver in the pros. He threw a touchdown pass to Hines Ward in Super Bowl XL to help the Steelers beat the Seahawks.

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Cris Carter, WR

He was recruited for both football and basketball at Ohio State, but stuck with football. Turned out to be the right move. He’s fourth all-time with 1,101 receptions.

NFLAllen Kee

Tony Gonzalez, TE

There were good tight ends in the NFL before Gonzalez, but he paved the way for the modern-day dominance of the position. Gonzalez starred at hoops at Cal-Berkeley, then was drafted by the Chiefs and went to 14 Pro Bowls as tight end with 1,325 career catches, second only to Jerry Rice.

Getty ImagesAl Messerschmidt

Jimmy Graham, TE

Oddly enough, he played just one season of football at the University of Miami and four years of hoops. After playing behind Jeremy Shockey as a rookie in 2010 with the Saints, Graham burst onto the scene the following year with 89 catches, 1310 yards, and 11 touchdowns. He’s had 85, 86 and 85 in the last three seasons, including 16 touchdowns in 2013. He was traded to Seattle in 2015.

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Julius Thomas, TE

The big man burst onto the scene two years ago in a big way. After basically redshirting in 2011 and 2012, Thomas started 14 games in 2013 and caught 12 touchdowns on 65 catches. He caught 12 more last season after starting just 10 games. It landed him a big free-agent contract with the Jaguars in 2015. Like others at his position in recent years, Thomas played basketball in in college. He starred over four years at Portland State, setting numerous school records.

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Antonio Gates, TE

Gates was an undrafted free agent out of Kent State in 2003 when the Chargers took a chance on him. He had wanted to play football at Michigan State for Nick Saban, but that didn’t work out as Saban wanted him to focus solely on football. Gates ended up at Kent State and played basketball there well enough that the school retired his jersey. He didn’t play football at all in college, but that didn’t matter. His 10,000-plus career receiving yards in the NFL and 99 TD catches makes him a strong candidate for the Hall of Fame in the future.

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Julius Peppers, DE

He came off the bench for the Tar Heels’ 2000 Final Four squad. His pass-rushing prowess needs no introduction.

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Ed 'Too Tall' Jones, DE

Five years with the Cowboys and a Super Bowl weren’t enough for Jones, who at age 28 left football to attempt a professional boxing career. He went 6–0 with five KOs in 1979 before returning to the Cowboys.

Getty ImagesStephen Dunn

Deion Sanders, CB

He’s a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fames. While he may be the greatest cornerback in NFL history (despite his widely known penchant for not tackling), Sanders also played with the Atlanta Braves in the 1992 World Series and played parts of nine lightning-fast seasons in MLB. He won two Super Bowls in the NFL.